How to Realize Yourself and Live Life Expertly With Dr. Ernhard Vogel

Dr. Ernhard Vogel, Ph.D, was born in Germany at the height of World War II, struggling to survive in the war-torn country. After immigrating to America, Dr. Vogel became obsessed with self-realization and mastery. Now, he runs a yoga, meditation, and self-realization center where he guides people through life’s challenging questions and helps them uncover the answers already within themselves. He is the author of the book, The Four Gates and a coach and speaker at Nataraja Meditation Center in San Diego. Favorite Success Quote “May you find yourself sufficiently worthy to become attentive to yourself and to relate to yourself in full power and love that you deserve.” Key Points 1. Live Your Life As an Expert One of the biggest mistakes that we make in our lives is that we try to become an expert at everything except for life. We try and master our hobbies, our professions, our relationships, and our bodies, but we never try and master the art of living. The art of being in the moment and living life as you.  I know that this may sound a little bit metaphysical and woo-woo, but you need to realize that one of the most essential parts of life is to become an expert at living. Learn to savor each moment and be. Become an expert at the art of life. 2. Just Be  We are so caught up in so many different things in our life that we often forget to appreciate our lives, to just live in the moment, to just be. True fulfillment comes from living your life, not from achievement. Start making a conscious effort to just be. Appreciate the colors in the park, appreciate the beauty of the people in your life, notice the tastes of your food, enjoy each moment fully and watch your life transform. 3. Realize that Your Senses Are Distracting You We live in a society that thrives upon sensory distractions. We walk around every day in a constant state of stimulation with advertisements and technology vying for our attention, drawing us away from what is truly important. As you set upon your journey or “living expertly” you must learn to minimize your sensory distractions. Take time alone to just be, get out in nature, or spend time with close friends. Focus on living your life and not on the number of Facebook likes your latest selfie is generating. 4. Success is Internal not External  In the Western world, our happiness is contingent upon external validation. Whether it is the hot wife, the fast car, the big house, or the bank account with six zeroes in it, our happiness and fulfillment are based upon factors outside of ourselves. This is why the majority of the population is depressed, anxious, and (frankly) miserable. If you want to achieve true fulfillment, then realize that happiness is internal. If you are a part of the Knowledge for Men community and have the technology to read this article, then you already have everything that you need to live a happy and fulfilled life. You are not fighting for your life, wondering where your next meal will come from, or witnessing the murder of your loved ones during a violent dictatorship. Therefore, you have everything you need to be fulfilled already inside of you. Stop worrying about the accolades and the 5. Accept that Death is a Part of Life You cannot truly live a full and adventurous life without accepting that you are going to die. Everything that you love and everything that you have built will one day end. And what’s funny is that this should not be seen as a negative thing. The fact that everything comes to an end makes every second more precious, it allows you to live fully without fear, knowing that no matter how many mistakes you make or how many times you fail, the consequences are never as severe as you feared. Accept the inevitability of death and you will be empowered to live your life with a freedom you had never known.